I'm not a big fan of Chuck Klosterman, but I like that he examines the existential meaning of sports. There aren't any writers that I know of who are doing it as he does it--and it's the sort of think I think is worth doing.
Reality and Fantasy Don't Mix
Friday, July 28, 2006
Narcissism and Me (or, how I learned to stop worrying and love parentheses)
This afternoon, I plan on going out to the UW-River Falls football field to watch the Kansas City Chiefs open up training camp. After matriculating, living, and working in River Falls for eight years, I've had the chance to watch a lot of training camp (two different summers I lived maybe 500 yards from the practice field). I don't have any great loyalty to the Chiefs, but when I was growing up in small towns in Minnesota, I would have killed for the chance to go for a short walk in order to watch an NFL team practice (I would rather watch practice than preseason--preseason football is the most dispicable thing in sports. And yes, last season I sat through an entire preseason game at the Metrodome, but that was largely because of my crazy step-father-in-law. How crazy is he? On the way to the stadium, he says to me, "Joe, are you a fighter?" "Uh, no..." I said. "Hmm," he replies, "Is your dad?" Anyway, I'm on a disasterously long parenthetical here, so let's just end it now). So I take what chances I can to catch the Chiefs practicing, and I've been very entertained over the years. Highlights, of course, are the times the Vikes came to town to scrimmage the Chiefs--the entire town feels overrun by crazy Viking fans. Uh, people like me, I guess, that just didn't live there.
Now, I don't have a rooting interest in the Chiefs at all (other than the two and a half years Priest Holmes was on my fantasy team). When the Chiefs played the Vikings a few seasons ago, there was not a shred of my being that rooted for the Chiefs (though when the Vikes got up by about three touchdowns, I didn't mind Priest Holmes getting his garbage TDs in). I don't have a big passion for them, but I now have a sorting of "following" interest in them. I watch their games on TV because I've watched them practice.
So today should be fun. There are rumors that Willie Roaf is retiring (how does that affect Larry Johnson's fantasy value?). There's a new regime in, so we'll get to see how Herm Edwards runs a camp. I'll get to see Larry Johnson run around (though at camp, my favorite thing to watch is the Wide Receivers).
See, this blog entry is pretty pointless, with no real insight or perspective. But today I get to spend the day in the air conditioned bliss of my office, spend lunch at the culinary bliss of China Moon, and spend the late afternoon watching professional football players perform various drills (so I'm happy, and I don't care what you think of my lousy blog today).
Now, I don't have a rooting interest in the Chiefs at all (other than the two and a half years Priest Holmes was on my fantasy team). When the Chiefs played the Vikings a few seasons ago, there was not a shred of my being that rooted for the Chiefs (though when the Vikes got up by about three touchdowns, I didn't mind Priest Holmes getting his garbage TDs in). I don't have a big passion for them, but I now have a sorting of "following" interest in them. I watch their games on TV because I've watched them practice.
So today should be fun. There are rumors that Willie Roaf is retiring (how does that affect Larry Johnson's fantasy value?). There's a new regime in, so we'll get to see how Herm Edwards runs a camp. I'll get to see Larry Johnson run around (though at camp, my favorite thing to watch is the Wide Receivers).
See, this blog entry is pretty pointless, with no real insight or perspective. But today I get to spend the day in the air conditioned bliss of my office, spend lunch at the culinary bliss of China Moon, and spend the late afternoon watching professional football players perform various drills (so I'm happy, and I don't care what you think of my lousy blog today).
Monday, July 24, 2006
Fantasy Football: if you play head to head, you are a sucker.
The biggest flaw of fantasy football is that most league's play head-to-head competition. Don't you hate when your fantasy team had a great week and had the second-most points of the week, but you had to play against the team that had the most points of the week, so you get a loss, while a bunch of people who did way worse than you get a win? Too much is left to chance. At the end of the season, you could have the most total points, but be in 5th place. It's preposterous.
Of course head-to-head competition is great in sports. But in sports, when Team A competes against Team B, Team A has something to do with the success of Team B. Not so in fantasy football.
What if the PGA Tour did things like fantasy football? Let's say they pair up the golfers randomly. Each golfer only golfs against that one opponent. What you do against the rest of the field doesn't matter at all to your success. If you happen to get paired up against Tiger Woods, then you will not get to win. Even if you have a better score than 90% of the rest of the golfers in the tournament, you will finish below them.
That's ridiculous, right? Why would anybody want to follow such a system, in which it barely matters if you do better than most people?
So what's the solution? One solution is to assign the champion by total points. This is a bad solution: consistency doesn't matter, and following your team throughout each week barely matters.
But there's a better solution. We call it CROSS COUNTRY SCORING.
When I ran in a cross country team, we would have meets against several opposing teams. This was much more competitive and efficient than scheduling all sorts of head-to-head meets between only two teams. And yet, it was very easy to determine who you beat because if you do better than one team, you get a W, and if you do worse than another team, you get an L. If you run in a meet with 10 teams, you have a chance for 9 wins and losses.
Let's explain for Fantasy Football. Let's say the league has 10 teams. During each week, every team competes against every other team. If you have the most points, that means you beat 9 people, and you go 9-0. If you have the second-most points, it's still OK, because you beat 8 people to go 8-1. If you have the lowest score, you got beat by 9 people to go 0-9. Etc., Etc., Etc. So getting a high score helps you even if you don't have the high score.
#1 score= 9-0
#2 score= 8-1
#3 score= 7-2
#4 score= 6-3
#5 score= 5-4
#6 score= 4-5
#7 score= 3-6
#8 score= 2-7
#9 score= 1-8
#10 score= 0-9
There are often ties in this system; ties just go as part of your record. You then don't have a playoff--you play 17 weeks, and whoever has the most wins is the champion.
The added benefit is that as a fantasy football competitor, EVERY GAME MATTERS TO YOU. If you go head-to-head, your only fantasy interest is games in which your players play and your opponents players play. With a Cross Country Scoring System, there is almost never a game without some effect. Every single Monday Night game could affect your finish.
Another benefit is that you're never out of it. In my league, last season's champion was in last place at the half-way point. Each week has so much potential to force you up or down in the standings.
Head-to-Head Competition in Fantasy Football is no way to determine the best team.
Of course head-to-head competition is great in sports. But in sports, when Team A competes against Team B, Team A has something to do with the success of Team B. Not so in fantasy football.
What if the PGA Tour did things like fantasy football? Let's say they pair up the golfers randomly. Each golfer only golfs against that one opponent. What you do against the rest of the field doesn't matter at all to your success. If you happen to get paired up against Tiger Woods, then you will not get to win. Even if you have a better score than 90% of the rest of the golfers in the tournament, you will finish below them.
That's ridiculous, right? Why would anybody want to follow such a system, in which it barely matters if you do better than most people?
So what's the solution? One solution is to assign the champion by total points. This is a bad solution: consistency doesn't matter, and following your team throughout each week barely matters.
But there's a better solution. We call it CROSS COUNTRY SCORING.
When I ran in a cross country team, we would have meets against several opposing teams. This was much more competitive and efficient than scheduling all sorts of head-to-head meets between only two teams. And yet, it was very easy to determine who you beat because if you do better than one team, you get a W, and if you do worse than another team, you get an L. If you run in a meet with 10 teams, you have a chance for 9 wins and losses.
Let's explain for Fantasy Football. Let's say the league has 10 teams. During each week, every team competes against every other team. If you have the most points, that means you beat 9 people, and you go 9-0. If you have the second-most points, it's still OK, because you beat 8 people to go 8-1. If you have the lowest score, you got beat by 9 people to go 0-9. Etc., Etc., Etc. So getting a high score helps you even if you don't have the high score.
#1 score= 9-0
#2 score= 8-1
#3 score= 7-2
#4 score= 6-3
#5 score= 5-4
#6 score= 4-5
#7 score= 3-6
#8 score= 2-7
#9 score= 1-8
#10 score= 0-9
There are often ties in this system; ties just go as part of your record. You then don't have a playoff--you play 17 weeks, and whoever has the most wins is the champion.
The added benefit is that as a fantasy football competitor, EVERY GAME MATTERS TO YOU. If you go head-to-head, your only fantasy interest is games in which your players play and your opponents players play. With a Cross Country Scoring System, there is almost never a game without some effect. Every single Monday Night game could affect your finish.
Another benefit is that you're never out of it. In my league, last season's champion was in last place at the half-way point. Each week has so much potential to force you up or down in the standings.
Head-to-Head Competition in Fantasy Football is no way to determine the best team.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
So much depends on a red wheelbarrow...er...Brad Johnson
I have recurring nightmares. Sometimes I dream that I am supposed to be in a play, but I screw everything up because I'm late, or I don't know my lines, or I don't know the blocking, or I don't know what play it actually is (which makes sense, since I'm just dreaming and never went to any audition or rehearsals). And even though I haven't been on an organized basketball team in 8 years, I have frequent dreams about being on a basketball team and spending all my time at the end of the bench.
And now, and likely for several months, I'll have a recurring daydream-nightmare. I'll fear that Brad Johnson is going to get injured this season. Is Brad Johnson a make-or-break superstar QB that the Viking offense can't live without? Not on the surface, he's not. But there are three reasons that Brad Johnson is the most important player on the Vikings.
#1: Mike McMahon is the backup QB.
#2: The other QBs on the roster are J.T. O'Sullivan and Tavaris Jackson.
#3: See 1.
Johnson is a solid, saavy, smart, functional quarterback. If the Viking defense can perform (soon I'll write about how so much depends on Chad Greenway) and the running game performs (in 2006 a running play up the middle will involve Hutchinson, Birk, Hicks, Richardson, and Taylor, 5 players who didn't play a game for the Vikes in 2006), that should be just what the Vikings need.
But if Johnson goes down, it's like when Homer Simpson ordered the best item on the menu stuffed with the second best item on the menu, and got lobster stuffed with tacos. The qb cupboard is pretty bare. It's like spending a week eating nothing but mac & cheese just to get all the boxes out of the cupboard that you've hoarded for months, buying them because they were cheap, then discovering a dozen cans of generic pork and beans behind them. It's over.
I saw Mike McMahon play last year. I assume, too, did Brad Childress, considering he was McMahon's offensive coordinator. And yet Childress has decided that his best course of action in 2006 is to start the season with a 38 year old QB who has played 16 games in a season only three times, with Mike McMahon as the only thing between starting a QB with 0 NFL attempts.
This is why I have recurring daymares. The Vikes were 9-7 last season, improved immensely at offensive line (the biggest weakness last season), drafted a first-round linebacker (the team's second biggest weakness last season), and now seem to have a real pro head coach. And yet without Brad Johnson, it is just a team led by Mike McMahon (in other words a 5-11 team) or a team led by a QB with no attempts (in other words, who the flip knows?).
This is why in 2006, even though the Vikings certainly have better players on the roster, Brad Johnson will be the most important player on the team.
And now, and likely for several months, I'll have a recurring daydream-nightmare. I'll fear that Brad Johnson is going to get injured this season. Is Brad Johnson a make-or-break superstar QB that the Viking offense can't live without? Not on the surface, he's not. But there are three reasons that Brad Johnson is the most important player on the Vikings.
#1: Mike McMahon is the backup QB.
#2: The other QBs on the roster are J.T. O'Sullivan and Tavaris Jackson.
#3: See 1.
Johnson is a solid, saavy, smart, functional quarterback. If the Viking defense can perform (soon I'll write about how so much depends on Chad Greenway) and the running game performs (in 2006 a running play up the middle will involve Hutchinson, Birk, Hicks, Richardson, and Taylor, 5 players who didn't play a game for the Vikes in 2006), that should be just what the Vikings need.
But if Johnson goes down, it's like when Homer Simpson ordered the best item on the menu stuffed with the second best item on the menu, and got lobster stuffed with tacos. The qb cupboard is pretty bare. It's like spending a week eating nothing but mac & cheese just to get all the boxes out of the cupboard that you've hoarded for months, buying them because they were cheap, then discovering a dozen cans of generic pork and beans behind them. It's over.
I saw Mike McMahon play last year. I assume, too, did Brad Childress, considering he was McMahon's offensive coordinator. And yet Childress has decided that his best course of action in 2006 is to start the season with a 38 year old QB who has played 16 games in a season only three times, with Mike McMahon as the only thing between starting a QB with 0 NFL attempts.
This is why I have recurring daymares. The Vikes were 9-7 last season, improved immensely at offensive line (the biggest weakness last season), drafted a first-round linebacker (the team's second biggest weakness last season), and now seem to have a real pro head coach. And yet without Brad Johnson, it is just a team led by Mike McMahon (in other words a 5-11 team) or a team led by a QB with no attempts (in other words, who the flip knows?).
This is why in 2006, even though the Vikings certainly have better players on the roster, Brad Johnson will be the most important player on the team.
Friday, July 14, 2006
My second-least favorite player: LenDale White
According to profootballtalk.com, it was LenDale White who asked Esera Tuaolo at the rookie symposium, "Is it offensive if I call you a faggot if you are a faggot?"
If this true, I now have somebody to replace Favre when he retires. My two LenDale White rookie cards are now getting pulled from my album and might get placed in some bike spokes (well, my bike has a flat tire that I've been too cheap to fix for the last year. I'll have to find something else to do with them).
Good old Southern Cal, they sure do have some sparkling gems of humanity as alumni, don't they?
If this true, I now have somebody to replace Favre when he retires. My two LenDale White rookie cards are now getting pulled from my album and might get placed in some bike spokes (well, my bike has a flat tire that I've been too cheap to fix for the last year. I'll have to find something else to do with them).
Good old Southern Cal, they sure do have some sparkling gems of humanity as alumni, don't they?
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
NFL coaches and moustaches
I don't what what percentage of men have moustaches. I would guess it's pretty low, but I admit I haven't been paying attention. The percentage is clearly higher than the percentage of women with moustaches. But that is neither here nor there.
But NFL head coaches have moustaches at an alarmingly high rate. There are only 32 head coaches, and Bill Cowher, Romeo Crennel, Mike Holmgren, Tony Dungy, Jeff Fisher, Andy Reid, and Brad Childress all frequently don the stache. That's 7 of 32. And there are others I can't recall offhand (and guess what, this public library computer has trouble opening two browsers; whither September when the Pacifist Viking blog comes off it's part-time suckassedness and returns to full-time suckassedness?): it seems to me Herm Edwards and Denny Green occasionally go moustachioed.
So, is this the source of some ultimate football power? Does the moustache convey a personage who cares nothing about his personal life and grooming, and is so consumed by football that nothing else matters? Does it make it difficult for the opposing team to hire lip-readers to try and steal play calls?
In an attempt to discover the ultimate football knowledge that lies in the moustache, I will be growing one for the impending fantasy football draft. What secrets will I hide in it? What special powers will it grant me?
But NFL head coaches have moustaches at an alarmingly high rate. There are only 32 head coaches, and Bill Cowher, Romeo Crennel, Mike Holmgren, Tony Dungy, Jeff Fisher, Andy Reid, and Brad Childress all frequently don the stache. That's 7 of 32. And there are others I can't recall offhand (and guess what, this public library computer has trouble opening two browsers; whither September when the Pacifist Viking blog comes off it's part-time suckassedness and returns to full-time suckassedness?): it seems to me Herm Edwards and Denny Green occasionally go moustachioed.
So, is this the source of some ultimate football power? Does the moustache convey a personage who cares nothing about his personal life and grooming, and is so consumed by football that nothing else matters? Does it make it difficult for the opposing team to hire lip-readers to try and steal play calls?
In an attempt to discover the ultimate football knowledge that lies in the moustache, I will be growing one for the impending fantasy football draft. What secrets will I hide in it? What special powers will it grant me?
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Long Research Project
I believe that too much focus is placed on championships when evaluating individual players. Certainly great players elevate their games in clutch moments, but championships are won by teams. For the sake of narrative simplicity, championships often get personified by an individual or small group. No matter what the causes of the Patriots three Super Bowls, Brady and Belichick will be the figures who leap out as the symbolic faces of those championships. As a result, Brady will get credit for winning the championships. In fact, the Patriots team won the championships (though I am firmly convinced that Brady and Belichick are the primary reasons they won the championships).
I thought I'd go back to 1957 (Bill Russell's rookie season, and in my mind the start of the NBA as we know it) and look at each season's champion. I would pick out the team's best player, then pick out the second best player, and see if there are other notable greats on the team. I can make arguments about why I'd choose a player as the best or second best on the team, but I'll save them for now. Choosing comes from statistical and non-statistical reasoning. The point here is to look at the individual players who personify their teams' championships, and then see what help there was.
I'm collecting the data from basketball-reference.com. For the second best players, I'll list their ppg, rpg, and apg to illustrate their contributions. I'm giving regular season stats, but I'm looking at playoff stats too to determine importance to team.
I'm doing this for two reasons. First, I want to show that most great players that win championships do so because they have other great players around them. Second, I want to see which players we could say really did carry teams to championships; in other words, who won titles with the worst #2? That's hard to say in the cases of teams that are legendary for their team play, but I'll still take Rick Barry in '75 and Hakeem Olajuwon in '94 for winning titles without a great #2 at the time.
1957: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Bob Cousy (20.6-4.8-7.5)
Others: Bill Sharman
1958: St. Louis Hawks
Best Player: Bob Pettitt
#2: Cliff Hagen (19.9-10.1-2.5)
1959: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Bob Cousy (20.0-5.5-8.6)
Others: Bill Sharman, Sam Jones
1960: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Tom Heinsohn (21.7-10.6-2.5)
Others: Bill Sharman, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones
1961: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Tom Heinsohn (21.3-9.9-1.9)
Others: Bill Sharman, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones
1962: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Tom Heinsohn (22.1-9.5-2.1)
Others: Bob Cousy, Sam Jones
1963: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Sam Jones (19.7-5.2-3.2)
Others: Bob Cousy, John Havlicek
1964: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Sam Jones (19.4-4.6-2.7)
Others: John Havlicek
1965: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Sam Jones (25.9-5.1-2.8)
Others: John Havlicek
1966: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Sam Jones (23.2-5.1-3.2)
Others: John Havlicek
1967: Philadelphia 76ers
Best Player: Wilt Chamberlain
#2: Hal Greer (22.1-5.3-3.8)
Others: Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham
1968: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: John Havlicek (20.7-6.7-4.7)
Others: Sam Jones
1969: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: John Havlicek (21.6-7.0-5.4)
Others: Sam Jones
1970: New York Knicks
Best Player: Willis Reed
#2: Walt Frazier (20.9-6.0-8.2)
Others: Dave DeBusschere
1971: Milwaukee Bucks
Best Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
#2: Oscar Robertson (19.4-5.7-8.2)
1972: Los Angeles Lakers
Best Player: Wilt Chamberlain
#2: Jerry West (25.8-4.2-9.7)
Others: Gail Goodrich
1973: New York Knicks
Best Player: Walt Frazier
#2: Earl Monroe (15.5-3.3-3.8)
Others: Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Jerry Lucas
1974: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Dave Cowens
#2: John Havlicek (22.6-6.4-5.9)
Others: Jo Jo White
1975: Golden State Warriors
Best Player: Rick Barry
#2: Jamaal Wilkes (14.2-8.2-2.2)
1976: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Dave Cowens
#2: Jo Jo White (18.9-3.8-5.4)
Others: John Havlicek
1977: Portland Trailblazers
Best Player: Bill Walton
#2: Maurice Lucas (20.6-11.4-2.9)
1978: Washington Bullets
Best Player: Elvin Hayes
#2: Wes Unseld (7.6-11.9-4.1)
Others: Bob Dandridge
1979: Seattle Supersonics
Best Player: Gus Williams
#2: Dennis Johnson (15.9-4.7-3.5)
Others: Jack Sikma
1980: LA Lakers
Best Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
#2: Magic Johnson (18.0-7.7-7.3)
Others: Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon
1981: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Larry Bird
#2: Robert Parish (18.9-9.5-1.8)
Others: Cedric Maxwell, Tiny Archibald, Kevin McHale
1982: LA Lakers
Best Player: Magic Johnson
#2: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23.9-8.7-3.0)
Others: Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon
1983: Philadelphia 76ers
Best Player: Moses Malone
#2: Julius Erving (21.4-6.8-3.7)
Others: Andrew Toney
1984: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Larry Bird
#2: Robert Parish (19.0-10.7-1.7)
Others: Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson
1985: LA Lakers
Best Player: Magic Johnson
#2: Kareem Abdul Jabbar (22.0-7.9-3.2)
Others: James Worthy, Byron Scott
1986: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Larry Bird
#2: Kevin McHale (21.3-8.1-2.7)
Others: Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson, Bill Walton)
1987: LA Lakers
Best Player: Magic Johnson
#2: James Worthy (19.4-5.7-2.8)
Others: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Byron Scott
1988: LA Lakers
Best Player: Magic Johnson
#2: James Worthy (19.7-5.0-3.9)
Others: Byron Scott, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1989: Detroit Pistons
Best Player: Isiah Thomas
#2: Joe Dumars (17.2-2.5-5.7)
Others: Dennis Rodman
1990: Detroit Pistons
Best Player: Isiah Thomas
#2: Joe Dumars (17.8-2.8-4.9)
Others: Dennis Rodman
1991: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (17.8-7.3-6.2)
1992: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (21.0-7.7-7.0)
1993: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (18.6-7.7-6.3)
1994: Houston Rockets
Best Player: Hakeem Olajuwon
#2: Otis Thorpe (14.0-10.6-3.6)
1995: Houston Rockets
Best Player: Hakeem Olajuwon
#2: Clyde Drexler (21.4-7.0-4.4)
1996: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (19.4-6.4-5.9)
Others: Dennis Rodman
1997: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (20.2-6.5-5.7)
Others: Dennis Rodman
1998: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (19.1-5.2-5.8)
Others: Dennis Rodman
1999: San Antonio Spurs
Best Player: Tim Duncan
#2: David Robinson (15.8-10.0-2.1)
2000: LA Lakers
Best Player: Shaquille O'Neal
#2: Kobe Bryant (22.5-6.3-4.9)
Others: Glen Rice
2001: LA Lakers
Best Player: Shaquille O'Neal
#2: Kobe Bryant (28.5-5.9-5.0)
2002: LA Lakers
Best Player: Shaquille O'Neal
#2: Kobe Bryant (25.2-5.5-5.5)
2003: San Antonio Spurs
Best Player: Tim Duncan
#2: Tony Parker (15.5-2.6-5.3)
Others: David Robinson
2004: Detroit Pistons
Best Player: Ben Wallace
#2: Chauncey Billups (16.9-3.5-5.7)
Others: Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace
2005: San Antonio Spurs
Best Player: Tim Duncan
#2: Manu Ginobli (16.0-3.4-4.4)
Others: Tony Parker
2006: Miami Heat
Best Player: Dwyane Wade
#2: Shaquille O'Neal (20.0-9.2-1.9)
I thought I'd go back to 1957 (Bill Russell's rookie season, and in my mind the start of the NBA as we know it) and look at each season's champion. I would pick out the team's best player, then pick out the second best player, and see if there are other notable greats on the team. I can make arguments about why I'd choose a player as the best or second best on the team, but I'll save them for now. Choosing comes from statistical and non-statistical reasoning. The point here is to look at the individual players who personify their teams' championships, and then see what help there was.
I'm collecting the data from basketball-reference.com. For the second best players, I'll list their ppg, rpg, and apg to illustrate their contributions. I'm giving regular season stats, but I'm looking at playoff stats too to determine importance to team.
I'm doing this for two reasons. First, I want to show that most great players that win championships do so because they have other great players around them. Second, I want to see which players we could say really did carry teams to championships; in other words, who won titles with the worst #2? That's hard to say in the cases of teams that are legendary for their team play, but I'll still take Rick Barry in '75 and Hakeem Olajuwon in '94 for winning titles without a great #2 at the time.
1957: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Bob Cousy (20.6-4.8-7.5)
Others: Bill Sharman
1958: St. Louis Hawks
Best Player: Bob Pettitt
#2: Cliff Hagen (19.9-10.1-2.5)
1959: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Bob Cousy (20.0-5.5-8.6)
Others: Bill Sharman, Sam Jones
1960: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Tom Heinsohn (21.7-10.6-2.5)
Others: Bill Sharman, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones
1961: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Tom Heinsohn (21.3-9.9-1.9)
Others: Bill Sharman, Bob Cousy, Sam Jones
1962: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Tom Heinsohn (22.1-9.5-2.1)
Others: Bob Cousy, Sam Jones
1963: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Sam Jones (19.7-5.2-3.2)
Others: Bob Cousy, John Havlicek
1964: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Sam Jones (19.4-4.6-2.7)
Others: John Havlicek
1965: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Sam Jones (25.9-5.1-2.8)
Others: John Havlicek
1966: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: Sam Jones (23.2-5.1-3.2)
Others: John Havlicek
1967: Philadelphia 76ers
Best Player: Wilt Chamberlain
#2: Hal Greer (22.1-5.3-3.8)
Others: Chet Walker, Billy Cunningham
1968: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: John Havlicek (20.7-6.7-4.7)
Others: Sam Jones
1969: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Bill Russell
#2: John Havlicek (21.6-7.0-5.4)
Others: Sam Jones
1970: New York Knicks
Best Player: Willis Reed
#2: Walt Frazier (20.9-6.0-8.2)
Others: Dave DeBusschere
1971: Milwaukee Bucks
Best Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
#2: Oscar Robertson (19.4-5.7-8.2)
1972: Los Angeles Lakers
Best Player: Wilt Chamberlain
#2: Jerry West (25.8-4.2-9.7)
Others: Gail Goodrich
1973: New York Knicks
Best Player: Walt Frazier
#2: Earl Monroe (15.5-3.3-3.8)
Others: Dave DeBusschere, Willis Reed, Jerry Lucas
1974: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Dave Cowens
#2: John Havlicek (22.6-6.4-5.9)
Others: Jo Jo White
1975: Golden State Warriors
Best Player: Rick Barry
#2: Jamaal Wilkes (14.2-8.2-2.2)
1976: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Dave Cowens
#2: Jo Jo White (18.9-3.8-5.4)
Others: John Havlicek
1977: Portland Trailblazers
Best Player: Bill Walton
#2: Maurice Lucas (20.6-11.4-2.9)
1978: Washington Bullets
Best Player: Elvin Hayes
#2: Wes Unseld (7.6-11.9-4.1)
Others: Bob Dandridge
1979: Seattle Supersonics
Best Player: Gus Williams
#2: Dennis Johnson (15.9-4.7-3.5)
Others: Jack Sikma
1980: LA Lakers
Best Player: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
#2: Magic Johnson (18.0-7.7-7.3)
Others: Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon
1981: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Larry Bird
#2: Robert Parish (18.9-9.5-1.8)
Others: Cedric Maxwell, Tiny Archibald, Kevin McHale
1982: LA Lakers
Best Player: Magic Johnson
#2: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (23.9-8.7-3.0)
Others: Jamaal Wilkes, Norm Nixon
1983: Philadelphia 76ers
Best Player: Moses Malone
#2: Julius Erving (21.4-6.8-3.7)
Others: Andrew Toney
1984: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Larry Bird
#2: Robert Parish (19.0-10.7-1.7)
Others: Kevin McHale, Dennis Johnson
1985: LA Lakers
Best Player: Magic Johnson
#2: Kareem Abdul Jabbar (22.0-7.9-3.2)
Others: James Worthy, Byron Scott
1986: Boston Celtics
Best Player: Larry Bird
#2: Kevin McHale (21.3-8.1-2.7)
Others: Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson, Bill Walton)
1987: LA Lakers
Best Player: Magic Johnson
#2: James Worthy (19.4-5.7-2.8)
Others: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Byron Scott
1988: LA Lakers
Best Player: Magic Johnson
#2: James Worthy (19.7-5.0-3.9)
Others: Byron Scott, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1989: Detroit Pistons
Best Player: Isiah Thomas
#2: Joe Dumars (17.2-2.5-5.7)
Others: Dennis Rodman
1990: Detroit Pistons
Best Player: Isiah Thomas
#2: Joe Dumars (17.8-2.8-4.9)
Others: Dennis Rodman
1991: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (17.8-7.3-6.2)
1992: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (21.0-7.7-7.0)
1993: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (18.6-7.7-6.3)
1994: Houston Rockets
Best Player: Hakeem Olajuwon
#2: Otis Thorpe (14.0-10.6-3.6)
1995: Houston Rockets
Best Player: Hakeem Olajuwon
#2: Clyde Drexler (21.4-7.0-4.4)
1996: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (19.4-6.4-5.9)
Others: Dennis Rodman
1997: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (20.2-6.5-5.7)
Others: Dennis Rodman
1998: Chicago Bulls
Best Player: Michael Jordan
#2: Scottie Pippen (19.1-5.2-5.8)
Others: Dennis Rodman
1999: San Antonio Spurs
Best Player: Tim Duncan
#2: David Robinson (15.8-10.0-2.1)
2000: LA Lakers
Best Player: Shaquille O'Neal
#2: Kobe Bryant (22.5-6.3-4.9)
Others: Glen Rice
2001: LA Lakers
Best Player: Shaquille O'Neal
#2: Kobe Bryant (28.5-5.9-5.0)
2002: LA Lakers
Best Player: Shaquille O'Neal
#2: Kobe Bryant (25.2-5.5-5.5)
2003: San Antonio Spurs
Best Player: Tim Duncan
#2: Tony Parker (15.5-2.6-5.3)
Others: David Robinson
2004: Detroit Pistons
Best Player: Ben Wallace
#2: Chauncey Billups (16.9-3.5-5.7)
Others: Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace
2005: San Antonio Spurs
Best Player: Tim Duncan
#2: Manu Ginobli (16.0-3.4-4.4)
Others: Tony Parker
2006: Miami Heat
Best Player: Dwyane Wade
#2: Shaquille O'Neal (20.0-9.2-1.9)
Soon it will be football day...
My favorite day of the year is the opening Sunday of football. Alas, the Vikes don't even play until Monday at 6:00 central. I'll be teaching from 5:00-8:00 (and it's tough to cancel the first day of class), followed by a half-hour commute home. If the antenna and VCR all work together.... This is roughly the 435th time I've whined about this. I will whine about this roughly 678 more times. Anyway, a few football thoughts.
My favorite "what if": The Miami Dolphins
We all know that when the last undefeated team of each season loses, the '72 Dolphins celebrate. But what would happen if the last team to lose is...the Miami Dolphins! I would LOVE to see the Dolphins start out 10-0 sometime and see what the old-timers do. I can't even begin to describe how excited I am that such an occurance COULD happen.
One of the top 32 starting QBs in the NFL
A peeve: how easily and thoughtlessly people throw out things like "he's one of the top 3 players in the league" or "he's one of the top 5 QBs in the league" and all that without actually giving it some thought. Often, when you do think about the comment briefly, you realize the claim is totally outrageous. Now, Peter King does this ALL THE TIME, but I've also read columns in which he explores, for example, how many QBs he'd take over Drew Brees. That's good. Don't be lazy: if you're going to say "he's a top 3 running back" or whatever, give it some thought and make sure there aren't 3 other RBs you'd take over whoever you're talking about. Otherwise we've got 10 "Top 5" players at any given time.
Vikings
All I can really predict for the 2006 Vikings is this: they will go between 5-11 and 11-5. I'm not sure they have more than 11 wins in them, and I'm pretty sure aren't worse than 5 wins. Nothing in between will suprise me. New coach, new offensive system, new defensive system...I have no idea. All I can do is approach every season hoping this is the one where I'll see the beloved Purple win a Super Bowl.
Anxiety
Every year I dread the possibility of seeing the Packers win a Super Bowl. If I had to witness the Packers win a 13th championship before the Vikes win their first...well, that would be difficult to stomach. Plus I despise Favre. I watch Packer playoff games with as much nervousness as I watch any Viking game. This season, I don't fear the Packers winning the Super Bowl. I do fear Favre throwing his 420th and 421st TD pass. But there's also something to be hopeful for: interception number 277 and 278. During the season, each week I will give a Favre tally at this blog. Favre has 396 TDs and 255 INTs--so he's 24 away from the TD record and 22 from the INT record. Which will he break? Both? Then which first? What sort of odds are we looking at here? And should I just start a separate anti-Favre blog to keep the venom off this one?
My favorite "what if": The Miami Dolphins
We all know that when the last undefeated team of each season loses, the '72 Dolphins celebrate. But what would happen if the last team to lose is...the Miami Dolphins! I would LOVE to see the Dolphins start out 10-0 sometime and see what the old-timers do. I can't even begin to describe how excited I am that such an occurance COULD happen.
One of the top 32 starting QBs in the NFL
A peeve: how easily and thoughtlessly people throw out things like "he's one of the top 3 players in the league" or "he's one of the top 5 QBs in the league" and all that without actually giving it some thought. Often, when you do think about the comment briefly, you realize the claim is totally outrageous. Now, Peter King does this ALL THE TIME, but I've also read columns in which he explores, for example, how many QBs he'd take over Drew Brees. That's good. Don't be lazy: if you're going to say "he's a top 3 running back" or whatever, give it some thought and make sure there aren't 3 other RBs you'd take over whoever you're talking about. Otherwise we've got 10 "Top 5" players at any given time.
Vikings
All I can really predict for the 2006 Vikings is this: they will go between 5-11 and 11-5. I'm not sure they have more than 11 wins in them, and I'm pretty sure aren't worse than 5 wins. Nothing in between will suprise me. New coach, new offensive system, new defensive system...I have no idea. All I can do is approach every season hoping this is the one where I'll see the beloved Purple win a Super Bowl.
Anxiety
Every year I dread the possibility of seeing the Packers win a Super Bowl. If I had to witness the Packers win a 13th championship before the Vikes win their first...well, that would be difficult to stomach. Plus I despise Favre. I watch Packer playoff games with as much nervousness as I watch any Viking game. This season, I don't fear the Packers winning the Super Bowl. I do fear Favre throwing his 420th and 421st TD pass. But there's also something to be hopeful for: interception number 277 and 278. During the season, each week I will give a Favre tally at this blog. Favre has 396 TDs and 255 INTs--so he's 24 away from the TD record and 22 from the INT record. Which will he break? Both? Then which first? What sort of odds are we looking at here? And should I just start a separate anti-Favre blog to keep the venom off this one?
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Fun Fantasy Football Rules
Some friends and I have been discussing ways to turn our impending fantasy football draft into a drinking game. Here are some other rules I'd like to suggest.
Person to select Brett Favre: take two pills of Vicodin and throw an interception to my kitten.
People who select Randy McMichael or Ahman Green: since real domestic violence is never funny, you just have to create a straw figure of your significant other, then start fighting.
Person to select Peyton Manning: Start really strong and confident, then start wilting anytime anybody looks at you, and come up short with stupid picks repeatedly as the draft comes to a close.
Person to select Ben Roethlisberger: Ride my bike straight into the garage door.
People who select Seattle Seahawks: It's only draft time, but it's not too early to start blaming the refs because you didn't win the championship.
Person to select Reggie Bush: on your next pick, act like you're going to be making an easy, no-brainer pick, then throw a lateral to a slow player running behind you and pick somebody who sucks.
Person to select Terrell Owens: by rule, you automatically receive Donovan McNabb, but you are obligated to spend the season talking about how much better you'd be with Brett Favre.
First person to make a joke about how you'd like to draft Eli Manning, but you're worried he'll refuse to play for your team: everybody present gets to punch you in the throat or in the crotch. It's the puncher's choice.
Person to select Drew Brees: you must smear something onto your face in the shape of his birthmark.
Person to select Randy Moss: when you've decided to make your pick, sit silently doing nothing. As your time winds down and somebody asks you to hurry up and make a pick, shout, "I pick when I want to pick!" If the commissioner threatens to fine you if you don't get your pick in on time, say "straight cash homey." When you finally do select Moss, pretend to take a crap on the floor and then pretend to wipe your ass on the wall (under no circumstances should you ACTUALLY crap on the floor and wipe your ass on the wall).
Person to select Daunte Culpepper: First, start trying to pick up a drink but repeatedly fumble it. Then try throw out a pick but allow it to be easily intercepted. Then send everybody an email telling them how you feel.
Person to select Mewelde Moore: start making the pick, and then act like you got injured trying to do it.
OK, some real drinking game rules.
First to select a QB: take a drink
First to select a TE: take a drink
First to select a D: take a shot
First to select a K: take a shot
First Homer Pick: take a shot
(this includes drafting players on your favorite NFL team OR alumni from your favorite college team. If I draft a UCLA Bruin, I take a shot. If Justin drafts a Duke Blue Devil...ah, hell, my brother at Bemidji State has a better chance of drafting a Beaver than Justin has of selecting a Blue Devil.)
First Reach Pick: take a shot
First Double Pick: take a double shot and remove one article of clothing
(In a snake draft, trying to draft a player who has already been selected is a cardinal sin.)
We need more suggestions: both of the first variety, and the second.
Person to select Brett Favre: take two pills of Vicodin and throw an interception to my kitten.
People who select Randy McMichael or Ahman Green: since real domestic violence is never funny, you just have to create a straw figure of your significant other, then start fighting.
Person to select Peyton Manning: Start really strong and confident, then start wilting anytime anybody looks at you, and come up short with stupid picks repeatedly as the draft comes to a close.
Person to select Ben Roethlisberger: Ride my bike straight into the garage door.
People who select Seattle Seahawks: It's only draft time, but it's not too early to start blaming the refs because you didn't win the championship.
Person to select Reggie Bush: on your next pick, act like you're going to be making an easy, no-brainer pick, then throw a lateral to a slow player running behind you and pick somebody who sucks.
Person to select Terrell Owens: by rule, you automatically receive Donovan McNabb, but you are obligated to spend the season talking about how much better you'd be with Brett Favre.
First person to make a joke about how you'd like to draft Eli Manning, but you're worried he'll refuse to play for your team: everybody present gets to punch you in the throat or in the crotch. It's the puncher's choice.
Person to select Drew Brees: you must smear something onto your face in the shape of his birthmark.
Person to select Randy Moss: when you've decided to make your pick, sit silently doing nothing. As your time winds down and somebody asks you to hurry up and make a pick, shout, "I pick when I want to pick!" If the commissioner threatens to fine you if you don't get your pick in on time, say "straight cash homey." When you finally do select Moss, pretend to take a crap on the floor and then pretend to wipe your ass on the wall (under no circumstances should you ACTUALLY crap on the floor and wipe your ass on the wall).
Person to select Daunte Culpepper: First, start trying to pick up a drink but repeatedly fumble it. Then try throw out a pick but allow it to be easily intercepted. Then send everybody an email telling them how you feel.
Person to select Mewelde Moore: start making the pick, and then act like you got injured trying to do it.
OK, some real drinking game rules.
First to select a QB: take a drink
First to select a TE: take a drink
First to select a D: take a shot
First to select a K: take a shot
First Homer Pick: take a shot
(this includes drafting players on your favorite NFL team OR alumni from your favorite college team. If I draft a UCLA Bruin, I take a shot. If Justin drafts a Duke Blue Devil...ah, hell, my brother at Bemidji State has a better chance of drafting a Beaver than Justin has of selecting a Blue Devil.)
First Reach Pick: take a shot
First Double Pick: take a double shot and remove one article of clothing
(In a snake draft, trying to draft a player who has already been selected is a cardinal sin.)
We need more suggestions: both of the first variety, and the second.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Wade's place in NBA history
Here's the question: how many NBA players have won NBA championships within their first three years AS THE BEST PLAYER ON THEIR TEAMS?
It's a short list.
Bill Russell won in his 1st and 3rd year.
Magic Johnson won in his 1st and 3rd year (Kareem was MVP Magic's rookie year, but Magic was Finals MVP, so for the sake of argument, let's consider Magic the team's best player for these two titles).
Larry Bird won in his 2nd year.
Tim Duncan won in his 2nd year.
Dwayne Wade won in his 3rd year.
So Wade is definitely already an all-timer.
However, let's look closer at these players before making assumptions about the meaning of this in all-time greatness.
Russell joined a Celtic team that featured Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman, both voted in '96 to be among the 50 greatest NBA players ever.
Magic joined a team that featured Kareem Abdul-Jabar, who is a legitimate contender for GREATEST PLAYER EVER status.
Larry Legend won his first title in '81 playing alongside three members of the '96 50 Greatest: Robert Parrish, Kevin McHale, and Tiny Archibald.
Tim Duncan joined an aging but still effective David Robinson.
And Wade was on a team that added an aging but still effective Shaquille O'Neal in his second year.
Certainly this is an impressive list of players. But each joined a team that was already loaded with some talent that could compliment them.
(one other comment on Wilt as the greatest athlete ever: I looked at the back of a card and learned that in the 1961-62 season, Wilt played all but 8 possible minutes of the NBA season. Yet you're not going to hear him mentioned with Cal Ripken, Lance Armstrong, or Brett Favre [who actually doesn't even have the record for most consecutive games played, though he gets all sorts of credit--Jim Marshall had the record until a pointless punter broke it. We don't recognize punters here at Pacifist Viking--all hail Jim Marshall] as the paragons of durability and stamina in American sports lore. He should be).
It's a short list.
Bill Russell won in his 1st and 3rd year.
Magic Johnson won in his 1st and 3rd year (Kareem was MVP Magic's rookie year, but Magic was Finals MVP, so for the sake of argument, let's consider Magic the team's best player for these two titles).
Larry Bird won in his 2nd year.
Tim Duncan won in his 2nd year.
Dwayne Wade won in his 3rd year.
So Wade is definitely already an all-timer.
However, let's look closer at these players before making assumptions about the meaning of this in all-time greatness.
Russell joined a Celtic team that featured Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman, both voted in '96 to be among the 50 greatest NBA players ever.
Magic joined a team that featured Kareem Abdul-Jabar, who is a legitimate contender for GREATEST PLAYER EVER status.
Larry Legend won his first title in '81 playing alongside three members of the '96 50 Greatest: Robert Parrish, Kevin McHale, and Tiny Archibald.
Tim Duncan joined an aging but still effective David Robinson.
And Wade was on a team that added an aging but still effective Shaquille O'Neal in his second year.
Certainly this is an impressive list of players. But each joined a team that was already loaded with some talent that could compliment them.
(one other comment on Wilt as the greatest athlete ever: I looked at the back of a card and learned that in the 1961-62 season, Wilt played all but 8 possible minutes of the NBA season. Yet you're not going to hear him mentioned with Cal Ripken, Lance Armstrong, or Brett Favre [who actually doesn't even have the record for most consecutive games played, though he gets all sorts of credit--Jim Marshall had the record until a pointless punter broke it. We don't recognize punters here at Pacifist Viking--all hail Jim Marshall] as the paragons of durability and stamina in American sports lore. He should be).
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Wilt
I believe Wilt Chamberlain is the greatest individual athlete in the history of American team sports--and it's not even close.
Let's look at some of his most amusing numbers. These are taken from various sources, such as the back of a '96 Topps Stars card, NBA at 50 edited by Mark Vancil, http://www.basketball-reference.com, Who's Better Who's Best in Basketball? by Elliot Kalb, and whatever is sitting around in my memory from who knows where.
1. In his entire career, he never once fouled out of a game.
Think about that. Think about the body control such a feat requires, particularly for a center.
2. In one season, he averaged 48.5 minutes per game.
You have to look at that number and think about it for a second. Seriously. A legitimate argument could be made that Wilt has more stamina than any athlete on record. He also has the NBA record for career minutes per game (45.8). You could make the argument that Wilt's rebounding and scoring numbers are inflated because he played in a run-and-gun era that had way more team shots attempted per game. But that also means that Wilt averaged more than a complete game during the run-and-gun era, and he set the record for minutes-per-game in a run-and-gun era. And according to NBA at 50, Wilt also had 47 consecutive COMPLETE GAMES.
3. He's the only NBA player to have led the league in points/game, rebounds/game, and assists/game.
Is this an argument for Wilt as the most versatile basketball player ever?
4. He has the record for points in a game (100) and points per game in a season (50.4).
5. He has the record for rebounds in a game (55), rebounds per game in a season (27.2), and career rebounds per game (22.9).
That 55 came against Russell. He also has the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th highest rebounding average seasons (though I actually believe Dennis Rodman is the greatest rebounder ever).
6. He has the highest points per game in a season (50.4), and the second (44.8), and the third (38.4).
The next highest is Elgin Baylor, who averaged 38.3 in 48 games. That means the next best scorer to Wilt (who also played in the same run-and-gun era) has a career high scoring average that is 76% of Wilt's career high, but that Wilt actually has two other seasons better than that. Michael Jordan's highest scoring average in a season was 37.1, which Wilt beat in his rookie year (37.6). Wilt also has more 50 point games than anybody (122 to Jordan's 37, and Wilt once had 45 in one season), 60 pt. games (32-4), and 70 pt. games (6-1).
When I look at these numbers, I cannot help but think he is the greatest basketball player ever. Certainly arguments can be made for Bill Russell (you can't argue with winning, but 11 championships is a team achievement), Jordan (I think the greatest non-center), Magic, Bird (unquestionably the greatest forward), and Kareem (a ridiculous career when you take a hard look at it: 6 MVPs, 6 championships, more points than anybody ever). Maybe you could make an argument for Oscar Robertson, to (he would compete with Magic as the greatest all-around guard).
But Wilt's records in his sport are so far superior to any #2 in his sport, and his ridiculous feats of athleticism and stamina make him the greatest in any sport.
Let's look at some of his most amusing numbers. These are taken from various sources, such as the back of a '96 Topps Stars card, NBA at 50 edited by Mark Vancil, http://www.basketball-reference.com, Who's Better Who's Best in Basketball? by Elliot Kalb, and whatever is sitting around in my memory from who knows where.
1. In his entire career, he never once fouled out of a game.
Think about that. Think about the body control such a feat requires, particularly for a center.
2. In one season, he averaged 48.5 minutes per game.
You have to look at that number and think about it for a second. Seriously. A legitimate argument could be made that Wilt has more stamina than any athlete on record. He also has the NBA record for career minutes per game (45.8). You could make the argument that Wilt's rebounding and scoring numbers are inflated because he played in a run-and-gun era that had way more team shots attempted per game. But that also means that Wilt averaged more than a complete game during the run-and-gun era, and he set the record for minutes-per-game in a run-and-gun era. And according to NBA at 50, Wilt also had 47 consecutive COMPLETE GAMES.
3. He's the only NBA player to have led the league in points/game, rebounds/game, and assists/game.
Is this an argument for Wilt as the most versatile basketball player ever?
4. He has the record for points in a game (100) and points per game in a season (50.4).
5. He has the record for rebounds in a game (55), rebounds per game in a season (27.2), and career rebounds per game (22.9).
That 55 came against Russell. He also has the 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th highest rebounding average seasons (though I actually believe Dennis Rodman is the greatest rebounder ever).
6. He has the highest points per game in a season (50.4), and the second (44.8), and the third (38.4).
The next highest is Elgin Baylor, who averaged 38.3 in 48 games. That means the next best scorer to Wilt (who also played in the same run-and-gun era) has a career high scoring average that is 76% of Wilt's career high, but that Wilt actually has two other seasons better than that. Michael Jordan's highest scoring average in a season was 37.1, which Wilt beat in his rookie year (37.6). Wilt also has more 50 point games than anybody (122 to Jordan's 37, and Wilt once had 45 in one season), 60 pt. games (32-4), and 70 pt. games (6-1).
When I look at these numbers, I cannot help but think he is the greatest basketball player ever. Certainly arguments can be made for Bill Russell (you can't argue with winning, but 11 championships is a team achievement), Jordan (I think the greatest non-center), Magic, Bird (unquestionably the greatest forward), and Kareem (a ridiculous career when you take a hard look at it: 6 MVPs, 6 championships, more points than anybody ever). Maybe you could make an argument for Oscar Robertson, to (he would compete with Magic as the greatest all-around guard).
But Wilt's records in his sport are so far superior to any #2 in his sport, and his ridiculous feats of athleticism and stamina make him the greatest in any sport.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
It's Fantasy Football Draft Season!!!
Very few things get the three exclamation points from me. At most, I usually give a sarcastic single exclamation point for things that aren't really exciting. But let me tell you--fantasy football draft season deserves three exclamation points!!!
I like to compile my own rankings with statistics from various internet sources. So far I've had trouble actually doing the kicker and defense rankings. I figure it's in kickers and defense that FFB mags make their money. Most of us can figure out which skill position players to draft, even the obscure late-rounders. But good fantasy kickers and defenses are often not those that you'd think. But I am ready to tackle my rankings.
I'm also ready to make outrageous claims about who I'll be drafting (my poor finish last season netted me the #2 pick this season--so far, I've claimed I'll be drafting a Viking QB with that pick. I've got a little over two months to space out the rest of my ridiculous claims).
Once my rankings are done, all that's left is to try to glean information from the other acquaintances in the fantasy league (they're actually my friends, but you don't want to be too close during this subterfuge period) beforehand, and try to fake people out with crazy claims that sound half-way reasonable so that people might actually think they're true ("I'm really high on David Givens. I like the potential of what he could do in Norm Chow's offense"). I also try to mix in some real claims with the ridiculous ones so that people will think that the real claims are mixed in with the ridiculous ("I like Aaron Brooks, Peyton Manning, and Charlie Frye at QB this year"), then you have to confuse people further, wondering if you were trying to give truths as lies mixed in lies ("At least one Jets' WR has to step up." "I can't wait to find out who is starting at RB for the Colts, because he'll put up the same numbers as Edge." "What do you think of Byron Leftwich as a starting QB option?")
I'm glad the months preceding the Fantasy Football Draft include little else to focus on--it's a sports season in and of itself that requires full dedication and concentration. That's what my mind is on now. It's the best time of the year.
(By the way, I figure this is the year that T.J. Duckett really steps up into a dominant goal-line back. I'm also excited about what Donte Stallworth can do with Drew Brees throwing to him. I'm not sure Larry Johnson can live up to expectations--there's a new offensive system, Richardson is gone, and that line is getting old.)
In the past, I've been suckered into drafting Viking players too high (or paying too much when we do the auction). During Randy Moss's golden years, that didn't hurt me. Last year, it crashed bigtime. I leave it to the rubes to wonder whether I'll stick with the Vikes in FFB or avoid them until the later rounds.
(Though it will be hard to avoid Travis Taylor--I think he's the WR who will benefit from Childress's offense the most).
I like to compile my own rankings with statistics from various internet sources. So far I've had trouble actually doing the kicker and defense rankings. I figure it's in kickers and defense that FFB mags make their money. Most of us can figure out which skill position players to draft, even the obscure late-rounders. But good fantasy kickers and defenses are often not those that you'd think. But I am ready to tackle my rankings.
I'm also ready to make outrageous claims about who I'll be drafting (my poor finish last season netted me the #2 pick this season--so far, I've claimed I'll be drafting a Viking QB with that pick. I've got a little over two months to space out the rest of my ridiculous claims).
Once my rankings are done, all that's left is to try to glean information from the other acquaintances in the fantasy league (they're actually my friends, but you don't want to be too close during this subterfuge period) beforehand, and try to fake people out with crazy claims that sound half-way reasonable so that people might actually think they're true ("I'm really high on David Givens. I like the potential of what he could do in Norm Chow's offense"). I also try to mix in some real claims with the ridiculous ones so that people will think that the real claims are mixed in with the ridiculous ("I like Aaron Brooks, Peyton Manning, and Charlie Frye at QB this year"), then you have to confuse people further, wondering if you were trying to give truths as lies mixed in lies ("At least one Jets' WR has to step up." "I can't wait to find out who is starting at RB for the Colts, because he'll put up the same numbers as Edge." "What do you think of Byron Leftwich as a starting QB option?")
I'm glad the months preceding the Fantasy Football Draft include little else to focus on--it's a sports season in and of itself that requires full dedication and concentration. That's what my mind is on now. It's the best time of the year.
(By the way, I figure this is the year that T.J. Duckett really steps up into a dominant goal-line back. I'm also excited about what Donte Stallworth can do with Drew Brees throwing to him. I'm not sure Larry Johnson can live up to expectations--there's a new offensive system, Richardson is gone, and that line is getting old.)
In the past, I've been suckered into drafting Viking players too high (or paying too much when we do the auction). During Randy Moss's golden years, that didn't hurt me. Last year, it crashed bigtime. I leave it to the rubes to wonder whether I'll stick with the Vikes in FFB or avoid them until the later rounds.
(Though it will be hard to avoid Travis Taylor--I think he's the WR who will benefit from Childress's offense the most).
How do I love Maury? Let me count the ways.
Allow me to diverge from my usual remarks on sports to take on a different subject. As readers here know, my summer is technology depraved. I can check the internet once a week, only the upstairs of the house is air-conditioned, and the antenna picks up 9 channels (with various degrees of clarity). Recently I actually instinctively pressed "22" on the remote expecting to see ESPN only to get the white noise.
This means I have more time for activities like reading and working around the house. But it also means another thing:
Maury.
There's nothing to distract me from the beauty that is Maury.
Where would I be without him? How many ways can I express my appreciation for his stance of moral superiority as he exploits promiscuous women trying to find the biological source of their children, or the promiscuous teenage girls and their clearly traumatized mothers? Why, I wonder as I sit transfixed in front of the TV with Maury's show, am I watching? And why, dear God, am I laughing?
Yesterday Maury brought some women on for paternity testing who had been on the show multiple times. The most hilarious part was when they began with a montage of the previous episodes--over and over again, men jump up with joy while the women react in exactly the same way. One women went straight to the ground 4-5 times in a row in the exact same limp position. Every other woman stormed "backstage." All the while, Maury somehow fascilitated this madness with stern judgment, yet kindly understanding.
The other day a bunch of teenage girls came out and acted like they were doing a parody of Cartman's "Whatever! I do what I want!" Maury brings them out dressed like hookers to berate them in front of their crying mothers while the girls talk about how badly they want to have babies and they do what they want. The strange thing is, when they bring the next girl out, the other girls are just sitting there next to their mothers watching dumbly. At the end, instead of boot camp, an ex-prostitute came to lecture them. Apparently, if they keep having sex, they'll be living in boxes.
Would I take any time to watch Maury if I had internet? No. Would I take more than a few minutes to watch Maury if I had cable? No. Should I even be taking any time to watch it now? No. Actually, I'm embarrassed to watch the show with the windows open, lest my new neighbors or the mailman here it and judge me. Yet the richness and color of Maury continues to draw me back.
I don't have classes to teach, I don't have football to watch, so I barely even feel guilty for setting myself down for the glory and wonder that is Maury.
This means I have more time for activities like reading and working around the house. But it also means another thing:
Maury.
There's nothing to distract me from the beauty that is Maury.
Where would I be without him? How many ways can I express my appreciation for his stance of moral superiority as he exploits promiscuous women trying to find the biological source of their children, or the promiscuous teenage girls and their clearly traumatized mothers? Why, I wonder as I sit transfixed in front of the TV with Maury's show, am I watching? And why, dear God, am I laughing?
Yesterday Maury brought some women on for paternity testing who had been on the show multiple times. The most hilarious part was when they began with a montage of the previous episodes--over and over again, men jump up with joy while the women react in exactly the same way. One women went straight to the ground 4-5 times in a row in the exact same limp position. Every other woman stormed "backstage." All the while, Maury somehow fascilitated this madness with stern judgment, yet kindly understanding.
The other day a bunch of teenage girls came out and acted like they were doing a parody of Cartman's "Whatever! I do what I want!" Maury brings them out dressed like hookers to berate them in front of their crying mothers while the girls talk about how badly they want to have babies and they do what they want. The strange thing is, when they bring the next girl out, the other girls are just sitting there next to their mothers watching dumbly. At the end, instead of boot camp, an ex-prostitute came to lecture them. Apparently, if they keep having sex, they'll be living in boxes.
Would I take any time to watch Maury if I had internet? No. Would I take more than a few minutes to watch Maury if I had cable? No. Should I even be taking any time to watch it now? No. Actually, I'm embarrassed to watch the show with the windows open, lest my new neighbors or the mailman here it and judge me. Yet the richness and color of Maury continues to draw me back.
I don't have classes to teach, I don't have football to watch, so I barely even feel guilty for setting myself down for the glory and wonder that is Maury.
Steve Van Buren (and rants about NFL history)
When people discuss the all-time great RBs, usually there's Jim Brown, then a bunch of players from the 1970s and later. I'd like to add a player to the conversation: Steve Van Buren.
Just look at his numbers. In a much different era, he won rushing titles, cracked 1,000 twice, had a career 4.4 average (including a season of 5.8). He was the best offensive player on an Eagles team that won two championships. In one of those championship games, he rushed for 90+ yards and a TD. In the other, he rushed for 196 yards.
By the way, check out the Eagles' playoff record in 1947, 1948, and 1949. They played 4 playoff games and pitched 3 shutouts. The 1949 Eagles could make an argument for being one of the all-time great teams.
However, in discussions of all-time greatness, a lot of commentators refuse to go back that far. There are different checkpoints for different people: some go back to the first Super Bowl, or to Lombardi's Packers, some go back to the 1958 NFL Championship game, some go back to Otto Graham and the Browns. But you don't hear of too many players from the '20s, '30s, and '40s talked about in all-time great discussions. They get some credit, but it's talked about as if it wasn't even the same sport or league. However, the '30s and '40s featured two of the true all-time great QBs (Sammy Baugh and Sid Luckman) and a legitimate contender for all-time greatest WR (Don Hutson). It's hard to talk about people who we certainly didn't see play, and who clearly played in a league with different style and rules than the game we know and love today. But when we have discussions of the all-time great players at different positions, let's not pretend that pro football started with Johnny U and Jim Brown.
Just look at his numbers. In a much different era, he won rushing titles, cracked 1,000 twice, had a career 4.4 average (including a season of 5.8). He was the best offensive player on an Eagles team that won two championships. In one of those championship games, he rushed for 90+ yards and a TD. In the other, he rushed for 196 yards.
By the way, check out the Eagles' playoff record in 1947, 1948, and 1949. They played 4 playoff games and pitched 3 shutouts. The 1949 Eagles could make an argument for being one of the all-time great teams.
However, in discussions of all-time greatness, a lot of commentators refuse to go back that far. There are different checkpoints for different people: some go back to the first Super Bowl, or to Lombardi's Packers, some go back to the 1958 NFL Championship game, some go back to Otto Graham and the Browns. But you don't hear of too many players from the '20s, '30s, and '40s talked about in all-time great discussions. They get some credit, but it's talked about as if it wasn't even the same sport or league. However, the '30s and '40s featured two of the true all-time great QBs (Sammy Baugh and Sid Luckman) and a legitimate contender for all-time greatest WR (Don Hutson). It's hard to talk about people who we certainly didn't see play, and who clearly played in a league with different style and rules than the game we know and love today. But when we have discussions of the all-time great players at different positions, let's not pretend that pro football started with Johnny U and Jim Brown.
My favorite NBA reactions to "bad" calls
The wide-eyed shock
The player looks about with gigantic eyes, in utter shock, as if in total disbelief that anybody could make such an outrageous call. Sometimes the player adds a little smirk. Worst culprit: Tim Duncan
The clown
The player just laughs or smiles or smirks, as if to say that a given call is so ridiculous that is is funny. The call brings humor, but is so stupid one cannot even attempt to dispute it. Worst culprit: Rasheed Wallace
The wave away
Different players and coaches use halfway variations of this. My favorite is when the coach raises both hands above his head, bends the elbows, and thrusts his forearms out quickly while waving his hands. It is as if to say, "take that garbage back! I don't want anything to do with that ridiculousness!" Worse culprit: coaches
The player looks about with gigantic eyes, in utter shock, as if in total disbelief that anybody could make such an outrageous call. Sometimes the player adds a little smirk. Worst culprit: Tim Duncan
The clown
The player just laughs or smiles or smirks, as if to say that a given call is so ridiculous that is is funny. The call brings humor, but is so stupid one cannot even attempt to dispute it. Worst culprit: Rasheed Wallace
The wave away
Different players and coaches use halfway variations of this. My favorite is when the coach raises both hands above his head, bends the elbows, and thrusts his forearms out quickly while waving his hands. It is as if to say, "take that garbage back! I don't want anything to do with that ridiculousness!" Worse culprit: coaches
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The further adventures of a technology-deprived sports fan
No internet, no cable, no idea about anything.
This is happening at the right time of the year. The NBA Finals will be on ABC, so I can watch all those games. Since I don't watch baseball, I don't really NEED to see anything in the summer. And then autumn comes, where even with the 9 channels I get, I should be able to watch 3-4 NFL games a week (and in autumn it's back to school and back to office internet access too).
I have not been able to see a single NBA highlight since I quit watching the Pistons-Cavs in the 4th quarter on Sunday. I keep hearing what happened the night before on the next day's radio shows, and have been able to piece events together based on commentary. I get whatever Viking news I can from local news, though local news is pretty focused on stadiums right now (no stadium for the most popular team in the state. Yay for democracy). Evidently we traded an undrafted free agent for somebody by the name of Billy McMullen or something. Now we've got 3 former Eagle offensive players: Mike McMahon, Artis Hicks, and Billy McMullen. Maybe McMullen returns kicks. Let's just say McMahon to McMullen doesn't fill me with Super Bowl fantasies (though I won the Super Bowl with the Vikes on Madden last night. Whenever that happens, I always watch the post-game celebration of purple-wearing players hugging each other around a giant trophy).
I'm hoping for a Dallas-Miami NBA Finals, because those teams are pretty fun to watch, and I wouldn't mind if either of them won the title.
Is the NBA missing something by giving so many playoff games to TNT and ESPN? The NFL is the most popular sports league and by far the most popular TV sport in America. They've built up popularity by putting the overwhelming majority of their games, including all playoff games, on broadcast channels. I realize those of us trying to save money by skipping cable aren't exactly the big spenders a sports league is trying to appeal to, but that wide appeal means something for long-term success. Ce la vie.
This is happening at the right time of the year. The NBA Finals will be on ABC, so I can watch all those games. Since I don't watch baseball, I don't really NEED to see anything in the summer. And then autumn comes, where even with the 9 channels I get, I should be able to watch 3-4 NFL games a week (and in autumn it's back to school and back to office internet access too).
I have not been able to see a single NBA highlight since I quit watching the Pistons-Cavs in the 4th quarter on Sunday. I keep hearing what happened the night before on the next day's radio shows, and have been able to piece events together based on commentary. I get whatever Viking news I can from local news, though local news is pretty focused on stadiums right now (no stadium for the most popular team in the state. Yay for democracy). Evidently we traded an undrafted free agent for somebody by the name of Billy McMullen or something. Now we've got 3 former Eagle offensive players: Mike McMahon, Artis Hicks, and Billy McMullen. Maybe McMullen returns kicks. Let's just say McMahon to McMullen doesn't fill me with Super Bowl fantasies (though I won the Super Bowl with the Vikes on Madden last night. Whenever that happens, I always watch the post-game celebration of purple-wearing players hugging each other around a giant trophy).
I'm hoping for a Dallas-Miami NBA Finals, because those teams are pretty fun to watch, and I wouldn't mind if either of them won the title.
Is the NBA missing something by giving so many playoff games to TNT and ESPN? The NFL is the most popular sports league and by far the most popular TV sport in America. They've built up popularity by putting the overwhelming majority of their games, including all playoff games, on broadcast channels. I realize those of us trying to save money by skipping cable aren't exactly the big spenders a sports league is trying to appeal to, but that wide appeal means something for long-term success. Ce la vie.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
The Ill-informed
I'm making a transition to a poorly informed sports fan. I'm going to go without cable for a while and see how that treats me (for NBA playoffs, that treats me pretty lousy), and my internet access is at this library less than a mile from my house, where I'm limited to 60 minutes at a time (until September, anyway). I can follow local sports alright this way, but all I really know right now is that Cleveland is up on the Pistons 3-2 and that Dallas was up 3-1 over the Spurs and I don't know if that series is over yet (I guess I'll be checking that next).
Following sports is a different world when you decide to skip expensive technology. If I weren't in a library with 27 minutes left, I would think out and write a brilliant Marxist essay about sports fans who are without cable for economic reasons and thus don't get to watch the NBA playoffs on TNT and will miss Monday Night Football when it moves to ESPN and how most people pretend that such people don't exist (even though I'm going without cable, and two dedicated sports fan friends of mine, Rob and Justin, also go without cable) and what it means to pretend that such people don't exist or are making their own choices yada yada yada, and it would be developed and I would attempt to refute objections and all that, but I'm having trouble formulating it all right now in this library, plus my brain is fried from moving, thus this run-on sentence continues.
Anyway, did you ever notice the halftime show on Tecmo Super Bowl? It's all scantily clad ladies, and then this one brunette cheerleader jumps in the air and her skirt flips up. So you see, the games we played when we were kids were just as bad as Grand Theft Auto.
Following sports is a different world when you decide to skip expensive technology. If I weren't in a library with 27 minutes left, I would think out and write a brilliant Marxist essay about sports fans who are without cable for economic reasons and thus don't get to watch the NBA playoffs on TNT and will miss Monday Night Football when it moves to ESPN and how most people pretend that such people don't exist (even though I'm going without cable, and two dedicated sports fan friends of mine, Rob and Justin, also go without cable) and what it means to pretend that such people don't exist or are making their own choices yada yada yada, and it would be developed and I would attempt to refute objections and all that, but I'm having trouble formulating it all right now in this library, plus my brain is fried from moving, thus this run-on sentence continues.
Anyway, did you ever notice the halftime show on Tecmo Super Bowl? It's all scantily clad ladies, and then this one brunette cheerleader jumps in the air and her skirt flips up. So you see, the games we played when we were kids were just as bad as Grand Theft Auto.
Friday, May 12, 2006
To everything there is a season
Is modern, urban man disconnected from the patterns of nature? Rural people had (and have) a close connection to the cyclical nature of the earth. Modern urban man in an industrialized society does not have need for these patterns and cycles (symbolized in the digital clock--instead of a meaningful, whole circle, time is fragmented and segmented) Certainly in Minnesota, where the weather experiences harsh changes and over 100 degrees of difference, we're not completely disconnected from nature's cycle.
But as a football fan, my life maintains a regular pattern that alters every aspect of my life. There's alteration from year to year, but my overall life experience seems to be settling into a predictable overall pattern. Oh, yes, mixed in there is an interest in UCLA basketball and the NBA playoffs (and the contemporary basketball elite's relationship to the basketball elite of history). And mixed into all of this is work (after 8 years of university scheduling, life takes on entirely different patterns, and academic life has its own all-consuming elements). But football is the motor that makes the pattern run.
September-December: Madness. Sheer madness. There is no other way to describe the all-consuming nature of the NFL regular season. My wife won a portable DVD player in a radio station "football widows" promotion. I don't think I'm exaggerating.
January: Weening. Playoff football is exciting, but with less teams and games, it does not take over the totality of my life.
February-May: Enjoying the world. Following sports and thinking of football, of course, but not with an all-consuming passion. This is a time for walks, for reading, for culture, for quality time to lead an authentic life.
June-July: Still enjoying the world; no school means I have time to read more of what I want. But anticipation of Fantasy Football starts to suck up more and more of existence. A separate madness of football card collecting takes hold, too.
August: Last chances for a quality life, with intense anticipation of what is to come. Football cards are at peak time. The berserk begins to re-emerge.
September-December: the Berserk madness returns.
I can't exaggerate how different my life, mind, emotions, and entire attitude changes in the cyclical pattern over this time.
Luckily, my academic/work patterns are matching my football patterns, as the next few months I will have less access to the internet (most of these blog entries are made in my office between classes) and less football content to write about, anyway. So in the summer, you'll hear less from me at this sports blog, but the content you'll miss out on would have been lousy, anyway.
But as a football fan, my life maintains a regular pattern that alters every aspect of my life. There's alteration from year to year, but my overall life experience seems to be settling into a predictable overall pattern. Oh, yes, mixed in there is an interest in UCLA basketball and the NBA playoffs (and the contemporary basketball elite's relationship to the basketball elite of history). And mixed into all of this is work (after 8 years of university scheduling, life takes on entirely different patterns, and academic life has its own all-consuming elements). But football is the motor that makes the pattern run.
September-December: Madness. Sheer madness. There is no other way to describe the all-consuming nature of the NFL regular season. My wife won a portable DVD player in a radio station "football widows" promotion. I don't think I'm exaggerating.
January: Weening. Playoff football is exciting, but with less teams and games, it does not take over the totality of my life.
February-May: Enjoying the world. Following sports and thinking of football, of course, but not with an all-consuming passion. This is a time for walks, for reading, for culture, for quality time to lead an authentic life.
June-July: Still enjoying the world; no school means I have time to read more of what I want. But anticipation of Fantasy Football starts to suck up more and more of existence. A separate madness of football card collecting takes hold, too.
August: Last chances for a quality life, with intense anticipation of what is to come. Football cards are at peak time. The berserk begins to re-emerge.
September-December: the Berserk madness returns.
I can't exaggerate how different my life, mind, emotions, and entire attitude changes in the cyclical pattern over this time.
Luckily, my academic/work patterns are matching my football patterns, as the next few months I will have less access to the internet (most of these blog entries are made in my office between classes) and less football content to write about, anyway. So in the summer, you'll hear less from me at this sports blog, but the content you'll miss out on would have been lousy, anyway.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
"Everything's coming up Milhouse!"
Beards seem to be in fashion. Around campus I seem to notice them more. There's been some commentary about bearded basketballers in the NBA playoffs. Jake Plummer transcended the concept of a sports beard, and now superstars like LeBron James are even sporting old-school facial hair.
Since I've let laziness at shaving evolve into a full-fledged beard, I am very happy with this development. I expect to be mistaken for a professional athlete any time now. I'm a little bit afraid to go to the grocery store, for fear of being mobbed by screaming hordes demanding my autograph. I might have to get a shirt that says "I had a beard before having a beard was cool."
Since I've let laziness at shaving evolve into a full-fledged beard, I am very happy with this development. I expect to be mistaken for a professional athlete any time now. I'm a little bit afraid to go to the grocery store, for fear of being mobbed by screaming hordes demanding my autograph. I might have to get a shirt that says "I had a beard before having a beard was cool."
Monday, May 08, 2006
Why Favre sucks
Favre sucks because Favre refuses to adapt his game for any reason. That's it. According to Bob McGinn (via PFT):
Telling his story for the first time since deciding April 25 to play another year, Favre was even more defiant than usual Saturday when the subject of his 29 interceptions was brought up in a non-accusatory fashion.
"I don't regret the way I play or the way I approach it," Favre said during a 30-minute session with reporters at the Packers' minicamp. "I don't feel like I should change. For me to change now, it would be time for me to leave."
According to Favre, his career-low passer rating of 70.9 (58.0 in the last 10 games), which ranked 31st in the National Football League, was more a reflection of circumstances and the personnel around him than slippage in his own level of performance.
"Throwing 20 touchdowns and 29 interceptions, all the experts out there have their opinions and theories," Favre said. "To be honest with you, I don't think I played any differently than any other year. When you're down, I'm not going to sit there and throw 3-yard check-downs and let the clock run out. I'm going to take chances.
"There will be people that agree with that and people who don't agree with that. I really don't care."
That's the problem. Great QBs are able to adjust their games for different circumstances. Maybe those circumstances are diminished arm strenght. Maybe those circumstances are an unwillingness to take a hit in later age. And maybe the circumstances are less talent around the QB. Either way, it is a total refusal to adjust and adapt that leads to a 29 interception season.
In the past, because of his immense talent, the immense talent of players around him, and good coaching, Favre was mostly successful playing his way. Now, he's not. In my opinion, that's a combination of his own diminished talent, the diminished talent around him, and poor coaches that are unwilling to do anything about Favre's erratic decision making.
When you play absolutely terrible in every way, then come out and defiantly claim that you will not be changing the way you play at all, well, then you deserve to go down as the guy who breaks the all-time interception record.
And if you watched the Packers last season, you know that it was a lot of terrible decision making that cost the Packers games and Favre interceptions. It's not the talent around a QB that makes him throw into double coverage in the end zone. It's not the talent around him that forces him to repeatedly hurl the ball deep to the end zone no matter what with time left for a sustained drive (ala Philly last season).
Personally, I'm glad we can expect more of the same from Shitdick next season.
Telling his story for the first time since deciding April 25 to play another year, Favre was even more defiant than usual Saturday when the subject of his 29 interceptions was brought up in a non-accusatory fashion.
"I don't regret the way I play or the way I approach it," Favre said during a 30-minute session with reporters at the Packers' minicamp. "I don't feel like I should change. For me to change now, it would be time for me to leave."
According to Favre, his career-low passer rating of 70.9 (58.0 in the last 10 games), which ranked 31st in the National Football League, was more a reflection of circumstances and the personnel around him than slippage in his own level of performance.
"Throwing 20 touchdowns and 29 interceptions, all the experts out there have their opinions and theories," Favre said. "To be honest with you, I don't think I played any differently than any other year. When you're down, I'm not going to sit there and throw 3-yard check-downs and let the clock run out. I'm going to take chances.
"There will be people that agree with that and people who don't agree with that. I really don't care."
That's the problem. Great QBs are able to adjust their games for different circumstances. Maybe those circumstances are diminished arm strenght. Maybe those circumstances are an unwillingness to take a hit in later age. And maybe the circumstances are less talent around the QB. Either way, it is a total refusal to adjust and adapt that leads to a 29 interception season.
In the past, because of his immense talent, the immense talent of players around him, and good coaching, Favre was mostly successful playing his way. Now, he's not. In my opinion, that's a combination of his own diminished talent, the diminished talent around him, and poor coaches that are unwilling to do anything about Favre's erratic decision making.
When you play absolutely terrible in every way, then come out and defiantly claim that you will not be changing the way you play at all, well, then you deserve to go down as the guy who breaks the all-time interception record.
And if you watched the Packers last season, you know that it was a lot of terrible decision making that cost the Packers games and Favre interceptions. It's not the talent around a QB that makes him throw into double coverage in the end zone. It's not the talent around him that forces him to repeatedly hurl the ball deep to the end zone no matter what with time left for a sustained drive (ala Philly last season).
Personally, I'm glad we can expect more of the same from Shitdick next season.
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